Lake Mary, FL. – October 18, 2011 – Progressive Communications International (PCI) announces that it is now HIPAA-compliant. HIPAA – The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 – includes stringent rules for the handling and transmission of Protected Health Information (PHI) to protect patient privacy. HIPAA compliance expands the services that PCI can provide clients in such industries as health insurance and healthcare.
The HIPAA Privacy Rule includes who is covered, what information is protected, and how protected health information can be used and disclosed. The Security Rule includes who is covered, what information is protected, and what safeguards must be in place to ensure appropriate protection of electronic protected health information. The Office for Civil Rights enforces both rules.
To become HIPAA compliant, PCI has established a system of standard operating procedures and secured storage areas – both physical and electronic – with restricted access. All employees attended training sessions to learn the provisions of the rules and their application in the workplace.
Said Brent Bauer, PCI Process Improvement Specialist/Quality Manager, “It’s a matter of understanding what we are legally responsible for, and understanding how it applies to PCI. We’ve established the guidelines, workflow and procedures and boiled down the language of complex documents into layman’s terms. Most of it involves common sense in the handling of protected information, and making sure it stays secure.”
“Achieving HIPAA compliance is an important step for PCI in offering a higher level of services for our existing clients, and opens opportunities to attract new clients,” said Gabe Hernandez, PCI General Manager. “I’m proud of what our team has done, and what we are ready to do moving forward.”
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